# Slow Smoked BBQ'ers??



## imperial Stout (Nov 21, 2008)

Anyone do any BBQing? Real bbq (not to be confused with grilling) - like some hickory smoked ribs, brisket, or pulled pork? We usually try to smoke up some pulled pork at least twice a year on special occassions using our Weber Smokey Mountain. Served up with homemade BBQ sauce, homemade jalapeno-pinto beans, and homemade coleslaw (by my wife - I'm very fortunate). 

Anyone have any BBQ recipes they'd like to share? I think a BBQ feast is in order for this coming Easter!


----------



## David_ESM (May 11, 2011)

There are a few puffers who do some regular smoking. They will be in shortly.


----------



## Guest (Feb 23, 2012)

I used to be a total barbecue purist, but I have to admit that with the last several briskets that I have cooked that I strayed from tradition. You can hate on my cheater method all you want, but if you care about the end product more than the method you'll love it.

Our meat here conveniently comes vacuum sealed, but you can do it yourself in a large ziplock bag. I place the vacuum sealed brisket in a cooler, boil enough water to cover the entire piece of meat, throw it in the cooler and let it cook for 12-18 hours. Add/reboil water every 6-8 hours. 

After that, I remove the cooked meat from the bag, collect the cooked juices, mix with cheap red wine and Dale's and inject the crap out of the meat. Place in a foil pan, apply your rub, and add some of the extra juice to the pan. Smoke for 3-4 hours, re-injecting as you feel necessary.


----------



## Hannibal (Apr 22, 2011)

Pale Horse said:


> I used to be a total barbecue purist, but I have to admit that with the last several briskets that I have cooked that I strayed from tradition. You can hate on my cheater method all you want, but if you care about the end product more than the method you'll love it.
> 
> Our meat here conveniently comes vacuum sealed, but you can do it yourself in a large ziplock bag. I place the vacuum sealed brisket in a cooler, boil enough water to cover the entire piece of meat, throw it in the cooler and let it cook for 12-18 hours. Add/reboil water every 6-8 hours.
> 
> After that, I remove the cooked meat from the bag, collect the cooked juices, mix with cheap red wine and Dale's and inject the crap out of the meat. Place in a foil pan, apply your rub, and add some of the extra juice to the pan. Smoke for 3-4 hours, re-injecting as you feel necessary.


So how big of a Brisket are you doing? Lb. wise?


----------



## Guest (Feb 23, 2012)

That one was a tiny one, just big enough for my wife and I. It would work as well with any size though, you shouldn't need to change the cooking times based on weight. It'll be fully cooked in the cooler over the 18 hours, the beauty of sous-vide though is that it never over cooks. You just put it on the smoker to get the crust and smoke ring


----------



## Hannibal (Apr 22, 2011)

Only reason I was asking is most of the briskets I'm doing range anywhere from 12-20 pounds.


----------



## zackly (Jun 27, 2008)

I've been experimenting smoking meat first then finishing very slowly (days, not hours)using my sous vide setup.
I think this method will catch on because sous vide eqipment for the home cook is now more readily available.
My setup cost about $250.00. Contact me if you want more detail.


----------



## Guest (Feb 23, 2012)

zackly said:


> I've been experimenting smoking meat first then finishing very slowly (days, not hours)using my sous vide setup.
> I think this method will catch on because sous vide eqipment for the home cook is now more readily available.
> My setup cost about $250.00. Contact me if you want more detail.


The beer cooler sous-vide method works well, and is super cheap


----------



## hachigo (Feb 14, 2012)

I'll definitely have to try that method next time Aaron. Thanks for all the info.


----------



## FWTX (Feb 9, 2011)

I was on a competition BBQ team for 4 years (not the money cook-off crap they show on TV), we even placed a couple times.
Easter BBQ sounds great - as far as recipes - talking Texas BBQ, only recipe is dry rub, smoke, and patience - that's it - oh, and knowing your smoker - there's no two alike. (man I wish I had some brisket right now!)


----------



## imperial Stout (Nov 21, 2008)

Pale Horse said:


> I used to be a total barbecue purist, but I have to admit that with the last several briskets that I have cooked that I strayed from tradition. You can hate on my cheater method all you want, but if you care about the end product more than the method you'll love it.
> 
> Our meat here conveniently comes vacuum sealed, but you can do it yourself in a large ziplock bag. I place the vacuum sealed brisket in a cooler, boil enough water to cover the entire piece of meat, throw it in the cooler and let it cook for 12-18 hours. Add/reboil water every 6-8 hours.
> 
> After that, I remove the cooked meat from the bag, collect the cooked juices, mix with cheap red wine and Dale's and inject the crap out of the meat. Place in a foil pan, apply your rub, and add some of the extra juice to the pan. Smoke for 3-4 hours, re-injecting as you feel necessary.


Sounds interesting but also like a little more labor intensive - but I do not doubt your final product being delicious! I usually just do the mannion method of lighting the charcoal and I'm good for about 12 hours of slow smoking with an occassional stir to the coals to get the ashes to the bottom.

You have me curious now though - by the time you put your meat in the smoke it's basically already done and yet it looks like you get an acceptable smoke ring. A lot of people I've read say the meat doesn't take much smoke after a certain temp. It doesn't look like that's your experience though.


----------



## imperial Stout (Nov 21, 2008)

zackly said:


> I've been experimenting smoking meat first then finishing very slowly (days, not hours)using my sous vide setup.
> I think this method will catch on because sous vide eqipment for the home cook is now more readily available.
> My setup cost about $250.00. Contact me if you want more detail.


I've never heard of sous vide - I'll have to check into what that is. But I've also experimented around with smoking for a few hours then finish off inside the oven with some pretty good results. Usually if I just want a little smoke flavor on some chicken, for example, I'll go throw it on my older rusted up junker barrel smoker with some coals and some wood chunks for a bit and then grill it up. But your finishing up in days and not hours has me intrigued... care to elaborate?


----------



## skfr518 (Jul 4, 2011)

I might have played around with a bbq pit or two.

http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/vb/puff-banter/299819-one-my-hobbies.html


----------



## zackly (Jun 27, 2008)

I use a temperature controller & immersion heater/circulator that I bought from Fresh Meal Solutions via their web site. I cook small items in a 38 cup rice cooker & bigger stuff in a beer cooler. For instance I'm going to put a 3-4# point cut corned beef brisket in the rice cooker for 2 days at 135 degrees F. I don't smoke this but the end results are awesome. You could smoke a fresh brisket though.


----------



## rocketmann82 (Jun 20, 2010)

I do Boston Butts as often as I can while it's warm ( We don't get long summers in Utah), but I'll smoke just about anything. I cheat with ribs when I don't have the time to smoke them. I Dry rub them and throw them on the grill with some Hickory chips and get a good crust on them and a fair amount of smoke. Then I remove them, place them in a Baking bag (like you use for turkeys) with a little (and I mean very little) water and put them in the oven at 275 for about 2.5 hours. They come out smokey and fall off the bone tender. When I retire from the military, I've got to get back to the south/southeast where I can use my Grill/smoker more often....


----------



## ShortFuse (Jun 6, 2011)

Call me a new fangled smoker... but I live on the high plains in Kansas and traditional charcoal and wood smoking just doesn't work here. I have a Brinkman electric smoker and I have smoked meat from 3F to 100F outdoor temps. My wife loves the ribs, but I prefer a big old butt or briskett. If you're interested in a sample of my homemade chipotle chili rub, please send me a PM!


----------



## rocketmann82 (Jun 20, 2010)

skfr518 said:


> I might have played around with a bbq pit or two.
> 
> http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/vb/puff-banter/299819-one-my-hobbies.html


Dude, did you make that pepper holder? I would kill for one of those, I make stuffed Japs all the time. Nice pics as well!!! That pig looks good, I haven't done a whole pig in a long time.


----------



## skfr518 (Jul 4, 2011)

Thanks but no I didn't make the pepper holder, thats my friends. He is a World Champion Pit Master and his good friend/pit builder made it for him. I would love to get one as well!


----------



## skfr518 (Jul 4, 2011)

Well you made me want to bbq so here is my rib dinner


----------



## KaChong (Jan 1, 2012)

I do a slow chicken on a Coleman charcoal grill. Chicken halves get a rubdown of a bit of fine fermented soya sauce, finely chopped thyme (just the little leaves, no sticks), a little olive oil, and a little finely ground sea salt. Finely sliced shallots and sprigs of rosemary are laid on top of the chicken. On the grill in open areas I put down some halved onions which keep the air humid so it doesn't dry out the meat. At about 1.5hrs I put in halved tomatoes brushed with olive oil with about a teaspoon of chopped garlic on top.

I cook over charcoal, loose hickory and Jack Daniels pellets, and a foil pack of hickory and JD pellets (longer lasting smoke). I sink in a digital thermometer into the biggest hunk of chicken and smoke for about 3hrs making vent adjustments to try not to exceed 140F core temp on the chicken. For food safety, I try to exceed 130F within 1.5hrs when the tomatoes go on.

I have to admit, it's a pain in the butt twiddling with vents being a temperature nazi, but the chicken comes out delicious and juicy. The half an onion turns into a smoky soft caramelized side, and the smoked tomatoes are awesome.

A friend of mine got a big green egg: Big Green Egg Canada - The world's best smoker and grill

It's actually pretty excellent. Very efficient with fuel, and keeping the charcoal going is very easy owing to it's excellent convection design. They're damn expensive though.

I've also been enjoying sous vide with a temperature control device I got off of Ebay that controls a slow cooker. Not much power in the slow cooker, but I compensate by pouring in hot water from a kettle periodically right after I dunk in the pouch. I basically check the bath temperature periodically and pour in hot water to speed up the time at which the crappy 500W heater in the slow cooker can get up to the setpoint temperature. Otherwise, it'd take half an hour getting to temp.

I did a spare rib stew for 2 days once. It was delicious medium rare, but you had to pick out these annoying little bones. Next time I did it, I roughly carved the meat off of the bones and threw the bones into a cotton bag which went into the stew. That way the marrow could flavor the stew, but removing the bone pile was easy. Basically everything you want in a stew without picking crap out of your teeth.


----------



## usrower321 (Mar 27, 2011)

I personally don't smoke, but I work at a BBQ joint in the summers and I love the food (pulled pork, brisket, thick cut bacon, chorizo, collards, mac, and corn bread :dr ). Gets a little old going home reeking of hickory and cherry wood though...not to mention working in a 100+ degree kitchen. Tennessee dry rub style is the boss. All of his recipes are original...and I'd like to help you out but the owner is a friend and BOTL.


----------



## ssutton219 (Apr 17, 2007)

It doesnt matter the weather here..if I got the fuel and a decent cut of meat my UDS will be puffin. I have had 3 different smokers and I LOVE MY UDS (Ugly Drum Smoker) she aint pretty but damn does she hold the temp and I dont have to do a thing after its set...but sit back and enjoy a cigar. Today is my fiancee's birthday and she and her boys LOVE my pulled pork and brisket so in a few hrs I will be setting up the drum for an early dinner. Her brother makes a good homade BBQ sauce...i have tried and failed to do my own rub but will mix and match with the store bought.


Over Father's Day this past yr I did almost 50lbs on my drum, in 6 hrs for a family runion of sorts and there was nothing left and my dad who has taught me to cook said it was some of the best hes had and thats saying something with all the traveling and food hes tried.


If I can find my BIL sauce recipe I will post it..and I will have picks of the smoking today posted later in the thread I started earlier.


The Troll


----------



## IBEW (Jan 17, 2009)

It's an unusually beautiful 70 degree February day in Houston.
Perfect for smoking cigars and meat.
Family is all getting together at our house today so
I'm smoking a pork-butt, baby back ribs and sausage over hickory.

After dinner, my Dad and I will kick back and enjoy a few cigars, 
the way life should be.

I use a dry rub. The pork butts cook 1 1/2 hours per pound at 225 degrees. At the half way point, I wrap them in foil. When they are finished cooking, I bring them in and they sit for 45 minutes before serving.

My wood of choice is either hickory or pecan. Sometimes I use apple or pear.

For those not familiar with a smoker, the box on the right side is where the wood burns. The hot smoke goes across and out the stack on the left. This way the hot smoke is what cooks the meat, it is all indirect heat. That allows very long cooking times. There is a stainless steel damper on the door of the fire box that controls the temperature. The propane tank that you see underneath is not used for cooking, it's a gas log lighter.


----------



## IBEW (Jan 17, 2009)

ShortFuse said:


> Call me a new fangled smoker... but I live on the high plains in Kansas and traditional charcoal and wood smoking just doesn't work here. I have a Brinkman electric smoker and I have smoked meat from 3F to 100F outdoor temps. My wife loves the ribs, but I prefer a big old butt or briskett. If you're interested in a sample of my homemade chipotle chili rub, please send me a PM!


I use a similar setup that is made by Bradley. It takes the smoke "pucks" with an auto-feed system. I use this one for smoking fish or chicken when I don't want to roll out the big smoker, works fantastic!


----------



## rocketmann82 (Jun 20, 2010)

IBEW said:


> It's an unusually beautiful 70 degree February day in Houston.
> Perfect for smoking cigars and meat.
> Family is all getting together at our house today so
> I'm smoking a pork-butt, baby back ribs and sausage over hickory.
> ...


I really can't wait to leave here and get back to the South. It's 33 and windy in Northern Utah, and I have about 2-3 inches of snow on my deck. Much too cold to smoke or smoke!!! I can't wait until it warms up so I can throw a Boston Butt on the smoker and sit outside and burn a fews sticks.


----------



## android (Feb 27, 2012)

i love to smoke meats... poultry is my specialty, but i also love to smoke ribs and pork shoulder. have yet to attempt the brisket, will do that soon though.

here's my brinkmann that i made some mods to. runs like a champ now.


----------



## BillyGoat (Apr 1, 2012)

Just came across this tread! 

I have a Primo ceramic smoker / Grill and I love doing the lo&slo cooking on it. Great for grilling too. When I surpass the minimums here, I'll post up some pics of my rig


----------



## TheTomcat (Mar 8, 2012)

Smoking a 12lb brisket right now. 

Very simple dry rub consisting of garlic, salt, pepper, cayanne, paparika, cumin, rosemary and sage. Then I put them on the grill for a few hours (2) in indirect heat at 175-200 degrees with very heavy mesquite smoke until they are almost black on the outside. Last they go into an aluminum roasting pan tightly covered with aluminium foil back on the grill at 300 degrees for another 2-3 hours depending on size. Very moist and smokey!

I used to do the all night slow cooking but found out this method works better and usually within about 5 hours. 

Good luck...


----------



## mikel1128 (Mar 26, 2012)

It's been a while but me and my friends normally get together for the UFC fights and we will drinks some beer and smoke some ribs.


----------



## piperdown (Jul 19, 2009)

Yep, live in the KC area...almost a requirement.


----------



## pittjitsu (Mar 30, 2012)

I'm a BBQ smoker from way back. I have my ribs and Boston butts down right. The one I haven't had great success with is brisket. Its a big piece of meat to screw up. Anyone have a fail safe recipe for brisket smoking?


----------



## abhoe (Feb 29, 2012)

Relevant I use a WSM 24' and produce some edible Q.


----------



## IBEW (Jan 17, 2009)

pittjitsu said:


> I'm a BBQ smoker from way back. I have my ribs and Boston butts down right. The one I haven't had great success with is brisket. Its a big piece of meat to screw up. Anyone have a fail safe recipe for brisket smoking?


It depends on how you like the brisket, some like slices that stay intact, I like mine almost falling apart. The way I smoke it is 1 1/2 hours per pound at 230 degrees over indirect heat. For wood, I prefer either hickory or pecan, the first being a stronger smoke and pecan is a little lighter. Start the meat with _the fat side DOWN,_ as the fat acts an an insulator and protects the meat from drying out. At the half way point of your cooking time, totally seal and wrap the meat with plenty of wide aluminum foil and put it back on, but this time with the fat side up. When it is finished, poke a few holes in the bottom of the foil and let all the melted fat and juice drain off, set it in aside or in the sink, foil still on, for 15-30 minutes and you've got BB-Q.

_BTW, you didn't hear any of this from me, they'll kick me out of Texas if they find out I've been giving away Texas BB-Q secrets!_

Good luck with it Brother, let me know how it turns out.

Edit to add; I'm not sure what you are using to smoke with, but that also makes a difference. There is a pic of my smoker on page 2 of this thread. You want to slow smoke with indirect heat for the best results. Most important is to have water involved. On mine, the bottom half of the smoker fills with water, this adds high humidity to the heat that helps keep the meat moist.


----------



## adambrs (Apr 9, 2012)

I did not take any pictures, but last weekend I made some pulled pork. Grabbed a nice 4lb Boston Butt, rubbed some blackstrap rum on it then added my seasoning blend. Brown sugar, pepper, salt, oregeno, and various spicey peppers. Slow cooked it over mesquite and it came out awsome.


----------



## pittjitsu (Mar 30, 2012)

IBEW said:


> It depends on how you like the brisket, some like slices that stay intact, I like mine almost falling apart. The way I smoke it is 1 1/2 hours per pound at 230 degrees over indirect heat. For wood, I prefer either hickory or pecan, the first being a stronger smoke and pecan is a little lighter. Start the meat with _the fat side DOWN,_ as the fat acts an an insulator and protects the meat from drying out. At the half way point of your cooking time, totally seal and wrap the meat with plenty of wide aluminum foil and put it back on, but this time with the fat side up. When it is finished, poke a few holes in the bottom of the foil and let all the melted fat and juice drain off, set it in aside or in the sink, foil still on, for 15-30 minutes and you've got BB-Q.
> 
> _BTW, you didn't hear any of this from me, they'll kick me out of Texas if they find out I've been giving away Texas BB-Q secrets!_
> 
> ...


I use an old fashioned 2 barrel smoker and instead of water, I usually have some Apple juice/apple vinegar mix in the moisture bowl. I smoke with maple usualy because that's what grows here, but I will see if I can get some hickory. I'm not a fan of mesquite for sure and pecan is nowhere to be found. I can always go to here, they have all the woods. TexasWoodMan.Com


----------



## Swany (Aug 20, 2010)

Just fired up the ol smoker, heres the before:


----------



## DSturg369 (Apr 6, 2008)

I've got a couple pix of some past efforts...

Whole deer hindquarter 









Plated









Boston Butt









Chopped


----------



## pittjitsu (Mar 30, 2012)

How is deer cooked that long? I've only had it rare off the grill. Nice bark on the butt you smoked. Looks great


----------



## Swany (Aug 20, 2010)

That deer meat looks amazing.


----------



## DSturg369 (Apr 6, 2008)

Smoked venison is fantastic. But a couple tips I'd like to offer...

- I'd recommend venison in larger, thicker cuts only for the smoker. Smaller cuts will tend to dry out. 

- Also, I'd recommend a wet-smoker verses a dry type one - Or you can baste the meat about every 1 to 2 hours to compensate. 

- Lastly, my fav type of wood for just about everything is Pecan. It's strong enough for pork and yet light enough for venison, fish, and poultry. More wood = Stronger smokey taste.


----------



## android (Feb 27, 2012)

some good pron there dale!


----------

